Issue 43, 2017

Surfactant-free synthesis of a nanoperforated graphene/nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube composite for supercapacitors

Abstract

A nanoperforated graphene/carbon nanotube (PG/CNT) composite is fabricated by electrostatic interaction of graphene oxide (GO) and nitrogen-doped CNTs, and subsequent catalytic carbon gasification. The nitrogen-doped sites (pyridinic N sites) of the CNTs are protonated under acidic conditions owing to the lone pair electrons, rendering the CNTs positively charged. The nitrogen-doped CNTs are uniformly incorporated into PG to form the PG/CNT composite through electrostatic attraction between the positively charged CNTs and the negatively charged GO. The resulting PG/nitrogen-doped CNT (N-CNT) composite exhibits outstanding electrochemical properties, showing high specific capacitance (288 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1) and high rate capability (267 F g−1 at 20 A g−1) as well as excellent cycling stability (99% capacitance retention after 30 000 charge/discharge cycles). This is attributable to not only the formation of a high concentration of edge sites in PG and improvements of cross-plane ion diffusion owing to the nanoperforations, but also the enhancements in the ion-accessible area and in-plane ion diffusion due to the incorporation of N-CNT nanospacers into PG.

Graphical abstract: Surfactant-free synthesis of a nanoperforated graphene/nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube composite for supercapacitors

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
31 Jul 2017
Accepted
28 Sep 2017
First published
28 Sep 2017

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2017,5, 22607-22617

Surfactant-free synthesis of a nanoperforated graphene/nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube composite for supercapacitors

Y. J. Choi, H. Kim, S. Lee, Y. H. Kim, H. Youn, K. C. Roh and K. Kim, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2017, 5, 22607 DOI: 10.1039/C7TA06742A

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